Righteous Obsession (46 page)

Theresa Simpson strode up to her bed and without a
word, backhanded Debbie across her face.  The sound of the slap reverberated
around the room.  “You godless whore!  How dare you!”

Debbie held her hand to her face where her mother had
struck her.  There was a bright red mark forming.  “Mom, what are you talking
about?”

“How dare you embarrass and humiliate me with your
lies!”  She raged.

“I don’t understand!”  Debbie cried.  “Why are you so
angry with me?”

 “How dare you tell such a filthy lie about Father
Michaels?”

“It’s not a lie!  Father Michaels did try to kill me!”

“If anybody did actually try to kill you, it was
undoubtedly one of your paramours!  Yes!  I read your diary, detailing every
filthy act you ever did with those perverted rock stars!”

“You had no right!”

Theresa backhanded Debbie so hard she knocked her back
into her pillow.  “You miserable whore!  I knew you were trouble from the first
moment I saw you and I was right!  I can barely hold my head up at Mass because
everybody knows not only is my daughter a whore, but a lying slut as well! 
You’re going to tell the truth if I have to beat you black and blue first!”

Debbie cowed away from her, crying.  “I’m telling the
truth!  Father Michaels tried to kill me!”

Her mother raised her hand to strike Debbie again when
somebody grabbed her arm and she found herself face to face with Monique
Conrad.  “You get the hell out of here before I call security and have you
thrown out!”

Theresa pulled her arm out of Monique’s grasp. 
“Debbie is my daughter and I can discipline her any way I see fit!”

“You won’t abuse Debbie on my watch!”  Monique said
coldly.

Theresa glared at Monique and said coldly, “Why don’t
you mind your own business and tend to your own daughter who could use some
discipline.  She’s as big a whore as Debbie!”

Debbie saw Din’s mother tighten her fist and feared
for a moment she was going to slug her mother.

She took a deep breath and got control of her temper
and then said quietly but forcefully, “You leave right now and don’t you dare
come back or I’ll call Detective Madison and you’ll find yourself sitting in a
jail cell right next to your good friend, Kathleen Michaels.”

Theresa Simpson left, but not before she issued one
last threat, “We’re not through, slut!  I’m going to make your life so
miserable; you’ll wish you had died!  Just you wait and see!”

After she left, Debbie burst into tears.  Monique put
her arms around her, trying to comfort her, but Debbie only cried harder.  “I
don’t know why she hates me so much!  I’ve always tried to please her and make
her proud of me, but I never could!”

“I know that, Deb, and it’s not your fault!”  Monique
replied soothingly.  Debbie continued crying so much; it forced her to call the
nurse to administer a mild sedative.

When Diana stopped by before she went to work, she
found her mother waiting for her.  “Mom, what are you doing here?  Is Deb all
right?”

“She’s sleeping right now.  I stopped by and found her
mother, slapping her and screaming at her.  I told her to get out and not to
come back or I’d have her arrested.”

“But Deb’s okay isn’t she?”

“She was pretty upset so they gave her a mild sedative
to help her rest.”

“Mom, I know we don’t have a lot of money and having
Deb living with us would be an added strain on our budget, but…”

“We can’t turn our back on her because Deb has nowhere
else to go.  There is something else we have to talk about, darling.”

“What?”

“Before Deb’s mother left, she promised to make her
life miserable and I believe she means to do just that.  Deb’s very fragile
emotionally right now, darling.  I’m worried if her mother starts harassing
her, she might go completely over the edge.”

Diana looked horrified.  “You mean she might commit
suicide?”

“Or she’ll have a total emotional breakdown.  I think
she should get as far away from her mother as she can, but I know she has
nowhere else to go.”

Diana thought for a moment then said, “I have an idea,
but I need to make a phone call first.”

 Colin walked into the waiting room at his doctor’s
office after seeing his doctor and found his mother reading a magazine.  “So,
Mom, what brings you here?”

“Hi, Colin,” she said and stood on her tiptoes to kiss
his cheek.  “I thought I’d take you to lunch.”

“How come you’re not working today?”  He asked,
noticing her jeans and sweater.

“I decided to take the day off.  After all, what’s the
point of being your own boss if you can’t take a day off when you want to?”

“True,” he agreed.  “And lunch sounds great.”

As they walked outside, Colin said, “I guess Alethea
must’ve called you.”

“Colin, she’s worried about you.  I know you think
we’re fussing too much, but we almost lost you.”

“I know that, Mom, and I know Alethea’s worried about
us being apart.  I am too and that’s why I insisted McGregor go with her.  The
problem is we both have careers where we’re going to be apart a lot and if
we’re constantly worried about something happening to one of us, we’re going to
be miserable.”

“You remember Dr. Trumbull did warn you about this
kind of a reaction,” Amanda replied as they got into her car.

“I know, Mom,” Colin hit the seat adjustment button
and slid his seat back enough to accommodate his long legs.

“What did your doctor say?”

“He pulled out the staples and he wants me to have an
MRI scan so he can see how my wound is healing inside.  I’m supposed to call
next week for an appointment.”

“Did you tell him about your nightmares?”

Colin sighed.  “He noticed the dark circles under my
eyes and asked.  I told him about my nightmares and he gave me the name of a
psychiatrist who deals exclusively with trauma cases and strongly suggested I
think about seeing her.  He said he’d give me a referral if I decided to do
it.”

Amanda felt frustrated, but didn’t want to push him. 
If Colin was going to do it, she wanted him to do it because he saw a need for
it and not because he felt pressured into it.

They went to Fisherman’s Wharf and had lunch at one of
the excellent seafood restaurants.

“This is nice!”  Colin said.  They had an outdoor
table with a prime view of the bay.

Amanda fussed with her coffee cup, her plate and her
silverware before asking, “Have you heard from Jeff?”

“We’ve talked,” Colin replied in a guarded tone.

 “How did it go?”

“We got into a big fight and it ended with me hanging
up on him.”

“No matter what I think about Jeff personally; I am
sorry things aren’t going well between you.”

“What makes me so mad, Mom, is he acts like it’s no
big deal to him that Father Michaels is at large and a threat to us!”

Their food arrived and they ate in silence for a few
minutes.  Amanda took a sip of her coffee then asked, “How does Alethea feel
about Jeff.”

“She thinks I’m being unfair to him, but we’ve agreed
to disagree on that subject.  We’re not going to let it become a bone of
contention between us.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

Colin stirred cream into his coffee.  “I can’t figure
it, Mom.  He bursts into my life uninvited and turns it upside down along with
all of your lives and then acts like he’s the one who’s been hurt!”

Amanda sighed, but remained silent.

“Don’t blame yourself, Mom.  I made the decision to
see him so I’ve got nobody to kick except myself!”  He was silent for a moment
then asked, “How’s Liam doing?  Is he still having nightmares too?”

“Not as many, thank goodness.”

“Good.  Is he getting out more?”

“Yes, but he’s always home early.”

“I know how he feels.  When it starts getting dark, I
feel like crawling into bed and pulling the covers over my head, like a little
kid afraid of the boogie man!”

They finished eating and Colin asked, “Do you feel
like doing some walking?”

“Okay.  Where are we going?”

“Ghirardelli Square. Alethea adores their chocolates
so I want to stop at the Chocolate Manufactory and buy her some.  How about if
I treat you to a hot fudge sundae?”

“That sounds delicious!”

The Chocolate Manufactory had two doors.  One led into
the ice cream shop that had a turn-of-the-century appearance with its wooden
counters and tables with spindly chairs.  The second door led into the candy
shop. Their hot fudge sundaes were world famous.

Colin and Amanda sat down at a table with their
sundaes.  “Dig in!”

Amanda took a bite and rolled her eyes.  “Umm!  This
is so good!”  She took another bite and shook her head.  “I’ll have to run
extra miles tonight, but it’ll be worth it!”

“Mom, your figure’s as good as Alethea’s!”

“Thank you, but I have to work hard to keep it that
way.”

They finished their sundae and went into the candy
shop where Colin purchased a box of Alethea’s favorite chocolates.  As they
were walking back, Amanda casually asked, “Do you have any plans for this
evening?”

Colin shook his head.  “No.”

“Why don’t you come home tonight?”  She suggested then
added in a coaxing tone.  “I’m having my famous “paint-stripping” chili.”

Colin grinned.  “How can I refuse an offer like that?”
He checked his cell phone to see if there were any voicemails when he got back
into the car. He’d had it on vibrate while at the doctor’s. Alethea hadn’t
called, but Diana Conrad had. He called her back and she explained why she had
called. “Mom and I would be happy to have Deb live with us, but we’re afraid
with her mother constantly wailing on her, it’ll be too much for her.”

“I agree.  I do have an idea how I can help her, but I
need to discuss it with others first.  Can I call you back?”  Diana agreed and
Colin promised to call her back shortly.  He silently bit his lip.

“Is something wrong, Colin?”  Amanda asked.

He looked up at her.  “Mom, I’ve got a favor to ask
you and dad and I won’t bullshit you – it’s a big one!”

“Okay,” She replied. She pulled her car to the side of
the road and took out her cell phone, put it on speaker and punched in Peter’s
cell number.

“Hi, Mandy!  What’s up?”

“Hi!  I have Colin with me and he has something he
needs to discuss with us.”

“Hi, Son!  How are you feeling?”

“Pretty good, Dad.”

“What do you need?”

“Do you remember the girl in Minnesota who Father
Michaels tried to kill?”

“Yes.”

“Her name is Deb Simpson and I just got a call from
her best friend.  She and her mother have been looking after Deb while she’s in
the hospital because her parents disowned her after she accused Father Michaels
of trying to kill her.  Deb’s mother is making all kinds of threats towards her
if she doesn’t drop the charges she’s filed against Father Michaels.”

“That’s terrible!”  Amanda exclaimed.

“Deb’s friend said they’d be happy to have Deb live
with them, but, she’s so fragile emotionally that they’re afraid this constant
harassment from her mother will drive her over the edge.”

“She doesn’t have any other family?”  Peter asked.

“Apparently not.”

“Mandy, I think we should tell Deb she’s welcome to
stay with us.  What do you think?”

“I agree, Peter.  Colin, be sure and tell her we’ll be
happy to have her come and live with us.”

“Are you both sure this is what you want to do?  She’s
seventeen and, after what’s she’s been through, she could be a handful,” he
cautioned them.  “You might end up with a lot more than you bargained for.”

“We know there could be problems, Colin, but we can’t
just turn our backs on her either.”  Peter explained.

“I know and thanks for caring, both of you.”

“We’ll talk more about this tonight, okay?” Peter
added

“Okay.”

“I’ll see you later, Mandy.”

“Okay.  Love you!” Amanda replied.

“I love you, too!”

Colin called Diana back.  “Is Deb strong enough to
travel, Diana?”

“I don’t think she can by herself.  Why?”

“I’ve talked with my parents and they want Deb stay
with them.”

“That’s totally awesome of them!”  She replied.  “But
why are they helping a girl they don’t even know?”

“Deb needs help and they want to help her.”

“Wow!  You’re lucky to have such awesome parents,
Colin!”

 “I know.  Why don’t you and your mom talk this over
with Deb and let me know what she wants to do and we’ll go from there.”

“We’ll do that.  Thanks, Colin!”

“Colin, if you’re not feeling too tired, there’s one
more place I’d like to go before we go home.”

“Sure.  Where’s that?”

Amanda hesitated for a second then said, “I thought
you might enjoy meeting your grandparents.”

 “My grandparents?”  He looked briefly puzzled then
figured it out.  “You mean Jeff’s parents?”

“Yes.  Colin, I told Alethea the one thing I’ve really
been regretting lately is how I deliberately kept you from them.”

“Mom, it’s understandable.”

“Luke and Nora were never anything but kind to me and
I repaid them by taking out my anger at Jeff on them!  I’ve been feeling so
guilty, especially when it looked as if we might loose you.”  She smiled at him
and took his hand.  “Now, I very much want them to meet you.”

“I guess it won’t hurt to meet them,” Colin conceded.

His grandparents lived in the Pacific Heights district
of San Francisco, within walking distance of the Presidio grounds.  They lived
in an older, well-preserved and well cared for neighborhood.

“Goodness!  This house has hardly changed from what I
remember it,” Amanda remarked as she pulled into the driveway.  She got out of
the car and started up the steps to the front door when she realized Colin
hadn’t followed.  She came around to the passenger side of her car.  “Are you
feeling all right?”

Colin looked up at her.  “I’m fine, Mom.”  He bit his
lower lip, appearing very much undecided.  “Mom, I know Jeff said they were
looking forward to meeting me.  That was before they knew it was Father
Michaels who tried to kill me.  Maybe, now, they think I’m just some scum bucket
who their grandson had every right to dispose of like last week’s trash!”

“Colin, I know they don’t think that! Don’t forget
you’re their very first grandchild and that makes you special in their eyes.”

“Maybe,” He replied doubtfully.  “I just don’t want
the rug jerked out from under me again!”

“Well if you don’t think you’re ready I won’t
insist.”  Amanda started around the car when an older woman appeared suddenly
and stopped her.

“Amanda?”

Colin silently studied her.  He guessed her to be in
her mid-to-late sixties.  She was several inches taller than his mother.  She
possessed a harshly cut face with strong features and eyes so dark they looked
pieces of onyx.  Her hair was silver and worn in an old-fashioned style, held
in place by combs.  “It’s been a long time.”

“Hello, Nora, it has been a long time,” she agreed.

Colin got out of the car and Amanda took his hand. 
“Nora, I’d like you to meet Colin.  Colin, this is your grandmother, Nora Michaels.”

“Hello,” Colin said.  He fiddled with his hair and
pushed it over his shoulder.

“It’s wonderful to meet you, Colin!  Your grandfather
will be speechless!  We haven’t thought or talked about much else since the day
Jeff called us and told us he’d found you. Why don’t we go inside?”

Amanda smiled at Colin who looked a bit overwhelmed by
his strong-willed grandmother.  As they walked into the house, Nora said, “Sit
down while I get your grandfather.  He’s out back in his greenhouse.  I was
just about to call him in for our afternoon tea when you arrived.”

Colin sat down staring at the family pictures spread
across the mantle.  He spotted a photograph of a vivacious young woman with
shoulder-length, auburn hair and figured it must be Caitlin. There was another
picture; a group portrait with a broadly smiling Father Michaels in the center
of it.  He looked away quickly not wanting to even look at Father Michaels. He
almost wished he hadn’t let his mother talk him into coming. Amanda noticed,
but remained silent as they heard footsteps coming back towards the room.

Nora was back in a few minutes with her husband.  Luke
Michaels, though not as tall as either he or Jeff, was a large man.  His face
was fuller and his cheekbones were not as prominent, but he had the same
deep-set eyes and the same smile.  He looked deeply tanned with lines around
his eyes and mouth and possessed a mane of thick silver gray hair.

Amanda touched Colin’s arm and he looked up. “Colin,
this is your grandfather, Luke.”